Jeon Nam-guk, Jeonnam Provincial Councilor, Points Out Lack of Support for Excavation of Namdo Uibyung

Na Gwang-guk, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Na Gwang-guk, Jeonnam Provincial Councilor (Democratic Party of Korea·Muan 2), pointed out that Jeonnam Provincial Government’s support for the discovery of Namdo Uibyeong (righteous army) is insufficient during the 2021 fiscal year settlement review under the Tourism, Culture and Sports Bureau.

According to data submitted by Professor Hong Young-gi of Suncheon National University on the 22nd, Jeonnam had the highest number of engagements and participating righteous army members in battles against Japanese military and police forces in 1908 and 1909, just before the loss of national sovereignty, compared to other regions nationwide. Representative righteous army leaders at that time include Sim Nam-il and An Gyu-hong.

“Namdo Uibyeong” refers to the righteous army members from Jeollanam-do and those who fought in Jeollanam-do voluntarily resisting foreign invaders to overcome national crises from the Eulmyo Waebyeon (Japanese invasion) in 1555 until before the March 1st Movement in 1919.

Currently, except for a few famous righteous army leaders, there is a lack of detailed data on the righteous army members who were active in various regions of Jeonnam.

Councilor Na Gwang-guk stated, “All righteous army members active in Jeonnam during the late Joseon period should be recognized, but what we remember are only some famous leaders. Along with Muan, Naju, and Hampyeong, where righteous army activities were intense, righteous army members from all regions of Jeonnam need to be further discovered.”

He continued, “The ‘Namdo Uibyeong History Museum’ is scheduled to open in Naju City in 2024. Although 400 million KRW was spent last year on purchasing relics for this purpose, the budget for discovering righteous army materials was only about 5 million KRW in total. Since much of the righteous army data is passed down orally through descendants, its accuracy is limited, so more budget support is essential to secure objective materials,” he added.

He also said, “Considering the museum’s success, it is necessary to discover lists of righteous army members by region and develop various content that narrates their stories in a storytelling format. Jeonnam Province must do its best to collect the necessary basic data for this purpose.”